Who will rule L.A. County?

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, August 4. It will be mostly sunny and warm (high 80s). 

If you think being mayor of the nation’s second-largest city is a big deal, wait until you hear about L.A. County’s soon-to-be-elected CEO. 

Voters from Agoura Hills to Whittier will choose their first elected CEO in 2028, after approving sweeping reforms in 2024 that created the new position. The chosen individual will wield a dizzying amount of power, commanding the county’s $50-billion budget and overseeing its dozens of departments. He or she will essentially be the mayor of Southern California, though they’ll have more constituents than the vast majority of U.S. governors. 

The March 2028 primary is still one year, seven months and three days away (not that anyone’s counting) but it’s already one of the most closely-watched political battles on the horizon. 

No one has officially launched a campaign yet. But conjecture about who may be running is something I hear about constantly from L.A. political insiders, so I decided to run down some of the most-talked-about names to hear what they have to say.

At least one of the most frequently cited prospects exclusively told L.A. Material that he has no intention of running, while another high-profile politician expressed more interest to us than we’ve previously seen elsewhere. 

And we also learned new details about Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s nascent CEO campaign apparatus. (The fiercely ambitious millennial supervisor has yet to declare her candidacy, though she’s made no secret of her aspirations.)

Our latest report is a very early look at how the race is shaping up.

MRT UPDATE: The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld veteran Los Angeles politician Mark Ridley-Thomas’ 2023 bribery conviction in a unanimous decision, Courthouse News Service reports. Long a towering figure in L.A. politics, Ridley-Thomas had been allowed to remain out on bail while his appeal was underway.

KEEPING HER OPTIONS OPEN: Politico examines former Vice President Kamala Harris’ latest moves (reported meetings with pro-Palestinian activists, increased visibility in early primary states, an exploration of philanthropic work) and talks to an insider who says she hasn’t ruled out another presidential bid in 2028.